Last week
was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? You were excited that you finally got to hear what
your new pastor sounded like in the pulpit and in bible class. You had eagerly
anticipated my arrival and you finally were able to say “Here is our new
pastor.” But it wasn’t just you. I felt like a kid at Christmas, just as
excited and eager to stand here and preach as I have ever been. We had good
company. You remember in last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus sent out the
disciples into the world to do His continued work of compassion, healing the
sick, driving out demons, and doing all things in His name.
You might
imagine their excitement. They’ve been with Jesus for quite some time –
probably a year or so. They’ve seen and heard the incredible things Jesus has
done. Just in Capernaum alone, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, raised
Jairus’ daughter from the dead, and He had calmed a terrifying storm as they
tried to cross the Sea of Galilee. Truly, this was God who dwelled among them and
His power, His wisdom, His strength was phenomenal. And, now He was giving His
authority to distribute His compassion to the crowds, the shepherd-less people
of Israel – their own countrymen! – and deliver the news that the Kingdom of
heaven is at hand. In short, they are to tell the Israelites that the Messiah
whom John the Baptist had been preaching about was here in the person of Jesus,
the Christ. What could go wrong?
Have you had
that experience where you have been given something exciting to do – perhaps a
new job, a new responsibility, or even a new level of a game. You’re fired up,
ready to go, and then someone holds their hand up and says, “How hold on a
second…there are a few things I need to tell you about…” and they proceed to
give you a list of warnings, pitfalls, and things that can all go wrong. It’s
amazing how fast your excitement can disappear in the face of all that
cautioning.
Jesus is
doing exactly that to His disciples. Jesus warns that persecution will
certainly come, and it will be as if they have bullseyes on their tunics.
Immediately before our Gospel text began, Jesus said, “Behold, I am sending you
out as sheep in the midst of wolves… Beware of men, for they will deliver you
over to courts and flog you in their synagogues and you will be dragged before
governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them and the gentiles.
When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you
are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.” Then,
He goes on to say, “Brother will deliver brother over to death and the father
his child and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”
It’s a cup
of cold water to the face, isn’t it? He gives a double-barrel blast of harsh
reality to the disciples as they prepare to leave. Jesus knows what will happen
to His disciples – immediately, these things will happen to a certain degree,
but even more so after He ascends. Jesus knows that His disciples will be
facing every type of persecution from His message being passively ignored, to
the men physically thrown out of town, to being beaten, eventually even being
martyred --- all because they will dare to preach Jesus.
In the midst
of these warnings, Jesus speaks a very clear word of assurance: Do not be
afraid. Three times, Jesus uses those words in this morning’s Gospel reading.
“Do not be afraid.”
The first
time, he says “Do not be afraid, for nothing is covered that will not be
revealed or hidden that will not be known.” The disciples are armed with His
Gospel message, and it will both cut like a razor into the darkness of sin and
bind up the hearts that have been crushed by the burden of guilt. His Word is
powerful and it will not be stopped, no matter what the devil might throw
against the disciples.
Yet, to them
He says, “Do not be afraid” again a second time. “Do not fear those who kill
the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul
and body in hell.” Their deepest fear,
love and trust is directed to the Father – what is taught in the First Commandment
– not anyone else. It is “Far better to be rejected and killed by enemies who
themselves are mortal than to find out that, because of your unbelief and
apostasy, the Father had become your eternal enemy,” (Gibbs, Matthew 1:1-11:1:
529).
Jesus’ third
“do not be afraid,” acts as a final end to all excuses. I wonder if the
disciples were all standing there with their hands in the air, ready to offer
their final reasons – excuses – why this wouldn’t work. Some had families to
take care of, some had businesses, some had homes they were responsible to
manage. To close off all excuses, Jesus uses a sparrow as his object lesson:
two for a penny, Jesus says – that’s all they’re worth on the market. Yet, the
Father knows when one of these little birds falls to the ground. If that’s true
of one half of a two-for-a-penny deal, how much more will he care for you? Do
you think He doesn’t know about your family? Your house? Your business? Of
course He does! And He will provide for you, both now and into eternity, so
that not even the hairs on your head will be lost.
There is one
thing that we do need to draw attention to: Jesus says we need not be afraid
because of God’s mercy and love for us will take care of us into eternity.
Jesus never says that evil won’t come to His disciples. In fact, if anything,
Jesus promises that suffering, difficulty, persecution, and even martyrdom will
come for those who follow Him. But, out of the Father’s loving care, He will be
with the disciples even if they are suffering and dying.
Do we really
believe that? Last week, we left this holy hill of Zion to go back down to the
valley. We were excited, encouraged, and energized, ready to – figuratively, at
least – charge hell with a bucket of Baptismal water. But what happened as the
week went on? Were you bold for Jesus? Did you dare to speak His name
publically and confess faith in Him as your savior?
Maybe…maybe
not. As a modern North American society, we – we being “the church” or perhaps,
more simply, Christians – have bought into the notion that it’s not polite to
talk about religion. We use the phrase, “I’m afraid” as a political correctness
shield of why we can’t or won’t talk openly about Jesus and we try to hide
behind it with phrases like “I’m afraid I’ll offend someone if I tell them
about Jesus.” We try to pass our own fear, our own angst, our own worry off in
such a casual way, but in reality, that is, if we’re honest with ourselves, we
are probably saying something like this:
· I’m afraid they will think I’m a
religious nut.
· I’m afraid HR will call me into the
office for a lecture. I can’t afford anymore marks in my file.
· I’m afraid my friends will stop
talking to me.
· I’m afraid my family will be
embarrassed.
· I’m afraid my business might suffer
if I’m too open about my faith.
· I’m afraid my boss will find out and
he’ll shame me in front of my colleagues.
· I’m afraid I can’t answer people’s
questions.
· I’m afraid I’ll be embarrassed and
look like a fool.
Fear is a
powerful emotion and motivator. It’s so powerful that sociologists and pollsters
now believe that fear led potential Republican voters to lie about who they
would vote for in last fall’s presidential election, lest it become known they
were Trump supporters and it produce negative results in their personal or
professional lives. Imagine that – to be so afraid of what could happen after
casting a secret ballot that they tried to lie.
But perhaps are
wrong on two levels. It’s not that strange at all. After all, the Christian
church has been doing something like that for centuries. Think about it: we
confess loudly on Sunday mornings, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker
of heaven and earth,” but on Tuesday when the discussion turns to evolution and
how “Everyone knows it is true that the world evolved from a spec of dust and a
cosmic electrostatic charge…”, we remain mum instead of defending the 7 day
creation account of the Bible. On Thursday, a television show has a so-called
expert saying that all religions basically believe the same thing and we are
intolerant if we don’t accept that, and we don’t write or call the station to
complain. Saturday morning, the other members of your golf foursome start using
some rather rough language and, when you say something about not appreciating
the words they are using, they sigh, roll their eyes, and become obnoxious. So,
after a few holes, you make a schmarmy comment about “Aw, my pastor isn’t
here…” and you join right in.
“Do not be
afraid”…but we are. And our fear, at times, keeps us from being bold disciples.
So, what are
we to do?
Repent.
Repent of the times we have been too afraid to speak. Repent of the times we
have been afraid to confess Jesus. Repent of the times we have taken the easy
way out instead of engaging those who need to hear. Repent of the times we have
loved our own comfort and earthly safety and first article gifts more than the
eternal gifts Christ died to give us.
Repent. And
believe Jesus’ words: do not be afraid. And be His apostles. Remember, Jesus
doesn’t say “Don’t be afraid, I was just kidding about going out into the
world.” No, even with His words of prophetic warning, He still sends them out
into the world, armed with His Word, His Spirit, and His comfort: do not be
afraid. Last week, He showed compassion to the many people by sending them
pastors. This week, He shows compassion by speaking to the apostles, do not be
afraid.
He is able
to say that because He knows He will face worse fears than anyone can ever
imagine. What the disciples will experience at the hands of the wicked and
sinful men will be multiplied against Jesus as He is seized, beaten and drug
before a – quote – “court of justice.” Set up on a sham charge, He is convicted
of a capitol crime and sentenced to death by one of the most cruel instrument
of torture the world has ever devised. There, separated from both heaven and
earth, He experiences hell on earth, taking into and onto Himself the entire,
eternal, damnable punishment that our sins deserve. In that moment on the
cross, Jesus died for all of the times we were too afraid to speak His name, to
embarrassed to say He is the only way to eternal salvation, too “afraid to
offend” by living the Christian faith, too afraid to be compassionate.
It always
amazes me to read the Easter narrative. The disciples were afraid. Seems that
they spend a lot of time doing that, doesn’t it? Huddled together for fear of
the Jews, Jesus nevertheless appears to them, standing right in their midst. He
comes to them in their fears, not leaving them abandoned. He comes to them, to
rescue. He comes to them so they do not stay enwrapped in their fears which
prevented them from apostling. And do you remember what He said to them? Peace.
Stop being doubters and believe. In other words, do not be afraid.
That promise
is true for us, the saints of God in this place. In His compassion, Christ
Jesus strengthens us as He sends us from this Zion hilltop to the valley around
us. You have all of His gifts: He made you His in baptismal waters. He
strengthens us with body and blood, given and shed for you. He reminds you over
and over that you have been forgiven all of your sins in His name. He joins you
with brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage each other and remind each other,
“do not be afraid.” And then he places you in your vocation where He works
through you in Christian service and witness to those around you.
In that
vocation, you will have God-given opportunities to speak to others who do not
know, believe in, and have eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. It might be
happen with the contractor who comes to your house and asks about the crosses
hanging on your wall, or the mechanic who asks you about what you did over the
weekend, or the server who brings you your plate of food this afternoon, or the
surgeon who asks how you can be so calm. Do not be afraid. Take a deep breath.
And you, empowered by the Spirit of Christ, given His Word and His promise and
His blessing of “Do not be afraid,” you open your mouth and you begin to speak.
In the name
of Jesus. Amen.
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